1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computer systems, and more particularly, to a method and mechanism for consolidating data.
2. Background
Many companies that utilize database systems face the issue of data fragmentation in their database application environments. Fragmentation may occur because of separate installations of the same database products. This data fragmentation presents difficulties for a company that needs to access its data for business intelligence to make global strategic decisions.
For example, as businesses evolve and grow across geographic and logistical boundaries, each new business location may implement its own local database system to 1) support unique business requirements, 2) minimize WAN (wide area network) connectivity costs, or 3) address character set constraints. Because such installations of localized database systems are often driven by immediate needs rather than coordinated efforts, the overall set of data maintained by the company may become fragmented. The greater the number of locations at which separate data is maintained, the greater the possible fragmentation problems with respect to the company""s data.
Additionally, data maintained by a company can become fragmented if the data is physically partitioned in multiple product installations in the same database. Such partitioning may occur, for example, using the Multiple Sets of Books Architecture (MSOBA) as utilized by Oracle Applications.
The present invention is directed to a method and mechanism for consolidating data. According to an embodiment of the invention, consolidation is performed based upon transformation rules established for data to be consolidated. An aspect of an embodiment of the invention relates to performing data transformations to resolve potential consolidation conflict issues. Another aspect of an embodiment of the invention relates to validation procedures performed after transformation.